After being swept by the Arizona Diamondbacks in the Wild Card round, the Milwaukee Brewers are facing an uncertain offseason. Many key players either have expiring contracts or only one year of team control remaining. With the market the Brewers are in, this requires them to make choices on who to keep when filling out the roster. One key player who’s reaching the end of his team-friendly deal is ace Corbin Burnes. Burnes has just one year of team control remaining. Given how his offseason arbitration went and that Scott Boras is now his agent, it’s safe to assume he’s thrown his last pitch as a Brewer. Before he enters free agency, Milwaukee needs to trade him because they can get a huge return. The perfect place to trade Corbin Burnes is the Baltimore Orioles.
An Accomplished Tenure
Embed from Getty ImagesCorbin Burnes has accomplished a lot during his tenure with the Brewers. He’s been an all-star three times in a row, earned a Cy Young award, and has led the league in ERA, strikeouts, WHIP, and FIP one time each. In 2021, Burnes even threw a combined no-hitter. He played a big part in helping the Brewers win the NL Central three times in six years and going to the postseason five times overall. Given how much money pitchers are making these days, a resume like that has significantly increased Burnes’s value.
This Was His Final Season In Milwaukee
Embed from Getty ImagesLast year in spring training, Corbin Burnes and the team went to arbitration over a $740,000 difference between the two sides. Burnes wanted $10.75 million while the Brewers were willing to pay him $10.1 million. The arbiter chose the Brewers figure, and an angry Burnes vented his frustrations publicly to the media. Not long after, Burnes switched his representation to notorious baseball mega agent Scott Boras. Whenever a star player on a small market team hires Boras, this often indicates that their days in their current uniform are numbered. Aside from Burnes, the Brewers don’t have anybody on their current roster being represented by Boras. Given how difficult it is for them to retain their players, Corbin Burnes has priced himself out of Milwaukee.
Baltimore Had Success In Spite Of Their Starting Rotation
Embed from Getty ImagesThe Baltimore Orioles had a surprisingly amazing season in 2023. They won the AL East for the first time since 2014 and are back in the postseason after a seven-year absence. However, despite all they accomplished this season, the only starters with an ERA below four were Kyle Bradish and Tyler Wells. It should be noted Wells gave up 25 home runs this season. Trade deadline pickup Jack Flaherty ended up being a bust going 1-3 with an ERA of 6.75! Baltimore also never had a true ace at the top of the rotation. Their Opening Day star was 35-year-old journeyman Kyle Gibson who had a 4.73 ERA but somehow managed to win 15 games. Gibson along with Flaherty are free agents after this season.
Burnes Wasn’t The Same As He Was In 2021 and 2022
Embed from Getty ImagesDespite coming into this season with something to prove, Corbin wasn’t what he was the past two seasons. He finished the 2023 season with a record of 10-8, an ERA of 3.39, 200 strikeouts, and a league-leading WHIP of 1.069. His numbers were mostly pedestrian compared to what he had done the past two seasons. His earned run average was his highest since 2019. He also gave up more than 20 home runs for the second year in a row. Although he did strike out 200 batters for the third consecutive year. He also led the league in WHIP for the first time in his career. However, his 2023 statistics weren’t enough to prove the team wrong. Although, he did make the National League all-star team for the third consecutive season.
A Terrible End To His Time In Milwaukee
Embed from Getty ImagesIn what appeared to be his final start as a Brewer, Burnes had a terrible start in the wild-card round against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Burnes would only pitch four innings giving up five hits and four runs to D-Back hitters. He also gave up three home runs during the game. Despite all that he accomplished in Milwaukee, Brewers fans unmercifully turned on him booing him all the way back to the dugout. The Brewers would eventually be swept by Arizona despite having home-field advantage. It was a sad way to end a stellar run in Milwaukee.
Milwaukee’s Painful Reality
It appears that the Brewers’ contention window is about to close. They’ve already been going through the painful process of trading away or letting leave in free agency key contributors. The Brewers having to trade Burnes is just the reality that teams like Milwaukee face as compared to the Mets or Dodgers. If the Brewers don’t trade him, he’ll just leave as a free agent anyway. There is no way that the team can meet whatever Scott Boras’s very high asking price will be.
Young Pitchers Waiting In The Wings
In Milwaukee’s own farm system, three of their top prospects are pitchers. They even have one who is ranked 38th on baseball’s top 100 prospect list. Two of the three Brewers farm hand pitchers are currently in Triple-A. All three of them are also slated to make their debut for the big club very soon. With how renowned Milwaukee is for developing big league-ready arms, it’s time to see what the kids bring to the mound.
The Rotation Is In Good Hands
Embed from Getty ImagesGiven Burnes is about to exit Milwaukee, fans are probably wondering who the new ace will be. The new number-one starter will be Brandon Woodruff. People forget that Woodruff was the ace before Burnes from 2020-2021. When healthy, Woodruff is an all-star caliber pitcher. Had he been able to stay healthy this year, I believe he would’ve not only had a better year than Burnes, but Woodruff might’ve been in the running for the NL Cy Young award. The starting rotation will be in good hands when Burnes departs.
Burnes Will Be Testing The Open Market Regardless
Embed from Getty ImagesGiven how cheap and very petty (see broadcaster Kevin Brown) Orioles owner John Angelos is, Burnes will probably only be in Baltimore for one season. Baltimore has just opened a contention window and adding Burnes would be a great way to maximize it. Having a true ace like Burnes at the top of the rotation would make Baltimore a scarier team. It could be argued that getting an ace is the final ingredient to Baltimore winning the World Series. Even if Angelos were to crack open his sacred checkbook, Burnes would be testing the market anyway. All Scott Boras clients get to see free agency.
Baltimore Has The Farm System To Make The Trade Happen
Baltimore also has the best farm system in the league. Six players are on baseball’s top 100 list. This includes the top prospect in all of baseball, Jackson Holiday. Baltimore also recently graduated Heston Kjerstad to the show. Milwaukee could command a haul of prospects in return for Burnes. Milwaukee in particular needs all the hitting help it can get. Offense has been a problem for them the past three seasons. Nine of the Orioles top prospects are position players. A pitcher like Burnes can easily command Baltimore two or more of Baltimore’s prospects ranked inside the top five.
The Brewers Should Get As Much As They Can For Burnes Leaving
The Brewers must trade away Corbin Burnes. Burnes is going to be a free agent after next season. Milwaukee needs to get as much as they can when they trade him. Unlike last season with Josh Hader, Milwaukee did the right thing by trying to go for a championship instead of trying to maximize Burnes’s value. When the Brewers let Burnes go, Milwaukee’s rotation will still be in good shape with Brandon Woodruff as the anchor. While Burnes ended his time in Milwaukee on a sad note, both sides need to move on. Unfortunately, small-market teams like the Brewers can’t beat the current economics of MLB. Baltimore has a need for an ace and the Brewers need help offensively and the Orioles have plenty of promising prospects.
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